Chapter 3 - New Years Resolutions
Well, the new year is upon us and as we sit here and
reflect on the past year, we are reminded again of how
blessed we are. We are also reminded of the fact that
our friends and family are one of our greatest blessings!
May God bless each of you in 2016!
Now on to the resolution "thing"...no friends, I'm
not resolving to drink less Diet Mountain Dew or to eat
healthier or to take vitamins more faithfully. It's just not
in the cards for this year, probably not next year either,
but we'll see! I do, however, have a few goals for our
Polled breeding program that I'd like to achieve in 2016.
#1 - I'd like to have a greater number of Polled calves
born here than we had this past year. It just makes
sense considering it's SO EASY! #2 is this - I would
love to breed a Red, Polled Advent show heifer for
next year. Probably a "stretch" for the near future, but
who knows! Of course it would be ok with me if Santa
took the hint and left me one under the tree! Probably
another "stretch" considering my behavior at times this
past year! We'll enough of that.
Happy "Polled" New Year from our farm to yours!
Donald & Joan Yoder & Family

”Love Showin' #Polled Calves!” Liam
Hinz of Hinz Farm, LLC in Pickett, Wisconsin and his calf
Dial P are the winners of this year's #PolledPlace Cover
Photo Contest. Liam loved showing her at the county
fair! Dial P is a daughter of Chipper P. Hinz Farm,
LLC was featured in the Sept/Oct 2015 #PolledPanel.
Photo taken by Danae Bauer of Farmgirl Photography.

4 #PolledPlace

Calling all POLLED dairy enthusiasts! To

receive a FREE online subscription, send your
email to: polledplace@polleddairycattle.com.
Print subscriptions in the US are $30/year,
Canada $35/year and International $50/year.
Polled Dairy Cattle does not always share the views expressed
in #PolledPlace and is not responsible for information contained in advertisements. No part of this publication may be
reproduced without consent of the publisher.

Sire: Burket-Falls Dazzler P-Red VG-88 (Advent x EX-91 Polled Party)
Done Right P's dam just classified EX at 8 years, 1 month. She has produced
over 145,000 lbs. of milk. Her udder is well above her hocks and she walks and
moves like a 4-year-old. Her udder quality is superb. She is backed by six dams
that are VG or EX with lifetime production from 125,000 to 240,000 lbs. of milk!
Make sure your breeding program is "Done Right!" Available from Burket-Falls!
BURKET FALLS FARM
Dave Burket & Sons

Imagine spending your whole life creating a unique bull...like one of those
bulls you usually see in the back of the catalog...you know, those extreme
high type or show type bulls, Red & White bulls, Polled bulls, outcross
bulls or perhaps just a bull with a unique aAa code. You invested in the
cow family, you classified, milk recorded, showed, pictured, marketed,
flushed and believed in the cow family. You did all the work, took all the
risk and paid the interest. You created something that you believe in, but
now it seems AIs, for the most part, are only interested in the extreme
GTPI bulls and only have room for a few unique bulls.
SO IF YOU CREATE ONE, WHAT CAN YOU TO DO?
There are a few brave breeders trying to collect and market their own
bulls, however once they realize how the distributor or independent sales
really work, the novelty quickly runs out. Why? Unless the independent
salesperson is getting that $25 semen for $5-$8, they can't make a profit. It's not easy driving around all day if they only sell a few racks at
full retail or a lot of racks for $8-$10, and lets face it, there aren't any
independent semen sellers out there driving around in their Porsche or
spending time on their yacht. It's not anyone's fault, it's just the way it's
always been. But...this is 2015! What other business model is still doing
commissioned door to door sales successfully in 2015? It's time there
was a platform that allowed the breeders of these unique bulls to collect
$21 from that $25 sale or $11 from that $15 sale or even $6 from that
$10 sale. How many doses would you need to sell to be profitable? What
if the semen was $50? Would it matter if you only sold 250 doses? Is that
even possible?
HAS IT EVER BEEN DONE? HOW MANY HAVE EVER TRIED?
We know of a Red bull that is over +3.00PTAT, with positive production
and health traits AND no Apple blood. How many of these exist? It's exactly what his breeder was shooting for and we already know there are
others looking for the same thing as him, so if you create a bull that suits
your own breeding program, and you're going to collect him anyway, why
not collect a little extra and see what happens?
#PolledPlace
1-855-222-2013 info@dairybullsonline.com

7

#PolledPromoters

#PolledPlace Photo Contest
In December, the 2016 #PolledPlace Photo Contest was held on the Polled Dairy Cattle Facebook page. Polled
enthusiasts from around the world submitted Polled photos to the contest and they were voted on to determine
who was going to be the cover photo of the 1st issue of 2016. Thank you to everyone that entered, voted and shared
these Polled photos and congratulations to our winners! Receiving 1st place with 131 "likes" on Facebook was
Liam Hinz of Hinz Farm, LLC in Pickett, Wisconsin with his calf Dial P with "Love Showin' #Polled Calves!" The
photo was taken by Danae Bauer of Farmgirl Photography and they are featured on the cover of this issue. Placing
2nd with 116 "likes" was "Spring Into #Polled!" and placing 3rd with 86 "likes" was "#Polled Beauty" both
submitted by Sue Crull of Briar Holsteins in Monroe, Wisconsin. Check out the photo album on the Polled Dairy
Cattle Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/PolledDairyCattle to see the great group of photos that were entered!

 Calved at 1-09 milking 70 lbs. with 4.2%F 3.9%P
 Very correct heifer and sweet to work with!
 We are testing her D&D Mogul Chad P heifer calf for *RC and PP
 How high are her numbers? High enough to make Red PP calves!
 Currently flushing to D&D Deb Goldwyn P-Red
John & Tineke Boschma

8 #PolledPlace

H4370 Town Line Road, Colby, WI 54421
Phone: 715-223-0534 Fax: 715-223-1114
Email: bossideholsteins@hotmail.com
Please help us vote for Jean L. Schrago from ABC Genetics
for World Dairy Expo's International Person of the Year.
A #PolledPromoter from Switzerland!

Bunny P placed 3rd in the #PolledPlace Photo Contest
and was consigned to the 1st #PolledPlace Tag Sale.
She was purchased by Chelsey Wheeler, Wisconsin.
We will be offering several Polled calves again in 2016!
Some are show-age and many are Red & White!

Save
The
Dates!
The 2nd #PolledPlace Tag Sale will be held

May 20 & 21, 2016 and we are looking forward
to hosting the sale again this year! Interested
in consigning? Catalog deadline is April 1st.
Contact us or Stephanie at 608-732-2757.

Breeder Perspectives on POLLED
This magazine was developed for those passionate about Polled! In the #PolledPanel feature of #PolledPlace,
breeders have the opportunity to share their perspective on Polled. Thank you to these breeders for sharing their
Polled story and views on the future of Polled in their respective breeds!
POLLED AYRSHIRES & HOLSTEINS
Long Lane Farm - Conklin, Michigan

Paul & Melissa Courtade
We live in Conklin, Michigan and raise Registered
Ayrshires. We also have some Registered Holsteins and a
few grades mixed in. I farm 320 acres with my wife Melissa.
We took over the farm from my parents Leo and Carol and
grandparents Paul and Elizabeth.
We always had a few Polled cows. The Polled cows
have picked up because there is better accessibility to Polled
genetics. We never really selected bulls for Polled characteristics, but for the overall bull and Polled was an extra bonus.
In the early 70s, my dad had a couple of Polled Hit Parades.
Bettyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chad had the most influence in our herd and most of
our Polled cows trace back to him. We try to use most of the
Ayrshire bulls available. Polled Ayrshires include Lennon P
and Mejor P. For Holstein, we have used the Polled Shottle
son, Snowball P and are currently using a Red & White Holstein from the UK, Timeless P.
With regards to the availability of Polled bulls, Holsteins and Jerseys have made real advancements in availability. Ayrshires are a little harder as there are fewer bulls.
I think the future for Polled genetics is only going to get better. For us, once you have the Polled trait in your cows, it
seems to stick. I have Polled calves because I have bred my
Polled cows to horned bulls. The future of Polled Ayrshires
is strong because there are only a small amount compared to
Holsteins or Jerseys, but the breeders really have a passion
for the breed. The Polled genetics have a lot of great traits
that you would not think of. We have never had a Polled
show cow, but they have always been good honest cows
that last forever. Polled and longevity seem to go hand and
hand. The calves seem to do a little better because you eliminated the dehorning stress.

operator. Milking and cattle care is done by myself (Steve),
my wife Mary, our son Anthony, our daughter Supriya and
part time employees. We have been dairy farming since
1981. We started using some Polled bulls in the early 1990s,
using Burket Falls Houdini P and Burket Falls Polled Plus P.
The reason we began using Polled bulls was both labor savings and I felt that it would be a desired trait in the future.
My breeding philosophy for Polled is the same as my
breeding philosophy as a whole, which is breeding for production (pounds of fat and protein), better feet and legs
and improved udders. I also believe in using horned bulls
on some of our Polled cows to bring new genetics into our
Polled population. One result of such matings is Corann P,
an Airaid out of a Leonid out of Polled Party P (scored 85,
best record at 4-07 in 329 days 38,083 lbs milk, 4.1 % fat, 1549
lbs. fat, 3.1 % prot., 1162 lbs. prot.). Another example is Cara
P, a Micah out of a Norman out of a Total with a best record
at 3 yrs. in 329 days 30,719 lbs. milk, 3.7 % fat, 1151 lbs fat,
3.2 % prot., 975 lbs. prot. We also have Polled daughters of
Aikman, Apple Crisp, Cutter, Galaxy, Chicago, Krafty, Sympatico, Save, Durable, Jett Air and Super. Most of these are
also Red carrier.
There was not any one cow family that I started breeding to Polled bulls. I chose the best mating from both polled
and horned bulls. Polled bulls represented in our herd include Pledge P, Epithelium P, Paul P, Scott P, Ducky P,
Maltby P, Mix P, Snowball P, Icicle P, Toubib P and Ivan PP.
We are currently using Homerun P, Red Nick P, Piranha P,
Dominant PP, Done Right P, 300 PP, Moneyball P, Socrates
P, Cloud Nine P, Alex II P, Ball of Wax PP, Jax P, Orlando P,
Siren P, 241 PP and O Hare P.
I feel there are an increasing number of Polled bulls
and most of the bull studs offer Polled bulls and are expanding their line up. I feel it would be good if more new genetics would be brought into the Polled population and more
Homozygous Polled bulls would become available. I only
see a larger population of the Holstein breed being Polled
in the future. I appreciate the greater emphasis being put
on Polled genetics because it will benefit our industry in the
future. You are welcome to visit or call us at Marsh Edge
Dairy, 17124 Moschel Rd., Reedsville, WI 54230, 920-7754089.

POLLED HOLSTEINS
Marsh Edge Dairy - Reedsville, Wisconsin
Our farm is located in Manitowoc County in eastern
Wisconsin. We milk 80 cows which are Red and Red carrier
Holsteins and farm 250 acres. Cropping is done by a custom

#PolledPlace
For information on MORE of our polled genetics, visit
us at 11
www.triplehilsires.com or call 1-855-955-2100

continued from page 10
POLLED JERSEYS
Hei-Bri Jerseys - Hawkeye, Iowa

Brian & Heidi Lantzky & family
Hei-Bri Jerseys is located in Hawkeye, Iowa and is
owned by Brian and Heidi Lantzky. We have two daughters
& sons-in Law and a grandson. Brittany, our oldest daughter, lives in Spillville and she helps on an as needed basis
with cattle work and general all around help. Our daughter Dayle lives with her husband on the U.S. Marine base in
Twentynine Palms, California. Dayle does our herd registrations and is a Field Representative for Global Ag Alliance in
Tulare. We have 7 part-time employees and have 175 Registered Jersey cows and 200 Registered Jersey heifers. We
started dairy farming in 1998 and we were herdspersons for
other dairies before that.
We have always had a few Polled Jerseys, but we were
inspired to start breeding for more when Brian saw the de-

#PolledPrices

mand for Polled genetics on sales and by following people
on Twitter that are passionate about Polled such as Bryan
Quanbury, Eric Danzeisen and numerous others. He saw
the value in Polled genetics.
Our breeding philosophy for Polled is to breed like
any other Jersey, select for balance, production, components
and type. If I can find a Polled bull that meets my criteria,
I will use more of him than a typical bull. I like the idea of
Polled animals, but we want genetic progress. They need to
improve on the previous generation. We have always had
a Polled family and in the last two years, we spent the time
to genomic test and confirm them as Polled. Hei-Bri Jevon
Gidee-P and Hei-Bri Impuls Gogo-P are the beginning of
what we hope will develop into a great outcross Polled family for the Jersey breed. We are working to incorporate this
family's Polled genetics into our descendants of Woodstock
Alf Leslie, Heartland Nathan Texas, BW Avery Katie and
Heartland Topeka Athena, as well as a few other select families. We also have Santana-P pregnancies confirmed from
Hawarden Jace Pix embryos purchased from River Valley
and Santana-P pregnancies from Woodstock Critic JB Lila.
In our herd, we have Eclipse-P, Critic-P, Oliver-P, Garcia-P,
Santana-P, Spartan-P and Gabe-P daughters and are currently using Santana-P, Dillon-P, Critic-P and Design-P.
I think there are a lot better options for today than in
the past. More Polled bulls such as Critic-P and Eclipse-P
are being used for production and type traits versus just because they are Polled. In the future, I would like to see Polled
bulls competing for the top of standard lists. Whether its JPI,
protein, fat, JUI or type. It can all be done without having
to remove horns or should at least be an option. I think the
future of Polled is very exciting. I would hope many of the
top families will have Polled options soon.

Included on this page and on pages 18 to 21 are the listings of available Polled sires. Do you have available
Polled sires to include? Send them to polledplace@polleddairycattle.com by April 10th for the May/June issue.
#PolledPlacings for cows and heifers can be found on the Polled Dairy Cattle website at www.polleddairycattle.com.

16 #PolledPlace
*Sires in BOLD are A2A2

#PolledPlace 17

#PolledPlacings

18 #PolledPlace
*Sires in BOLD are A2A2

POLLED Sire Rankings

#PolledPlace 19

#PolledPlacings

*Sires in BOLD are A2A2

20 #PolledPlace

POLLED Sire Rankings

#PolledPlace 21

#PolledPassport
Valiant Dairy Genetics - Tony Van Lith - Canada

A Focus on International Polled

Vieuxsaule Overtime Ginay PP-RC
+2052GTPI from the Mit P family
Pregnant to Troy
We established our current farm in
Woodstock, Ontario, Canada in 2006,
where we milk around 230 cows on
4 Lely A2 Robots. The home farm is
run by my parents and second oldest
brother, while my oldest brother is on
our second dairy. I mix feed and help
with all other chores when I am home
from college on the weekends. My

22 #PolledPlace

personal prefix is Valiant, which was
formed from a combination of my first
and last name and was chosen due
to its meaning and also partially from
the legendary bull Valiant! I also run a
Facebook page, Valiant Dairy Genetics,
regarding my own few cows, as well
as our other dairy cattle. My personal
goal would be to have a large percentage of the herd Polled, but at this point
this is not possible due to a lack of support for this at home.
I currently select our bulls based on
traits such as PL, SCS, DPR, teat placement/teat length, linear (strength vs.
stature), as well as a higher emphasis
on protein vs. fat. I do all of the matings
on the farm, but bull selection is split,
which is why our Polled usage is not as
significant as I wish it were.
We are currently implanting embryos
from families such as Sher-Est S-Wind
Saturday and two different branches of
the Rudolph Missy family. I personally own a Homozygous Polled heifer,
Vieuxsaule Overtime Ginay PP-RC
who ranks in the top of the world for
PP RC animals, as well as being free
of the commonly used bull Lawn Boy
P. Ginay descends from a Freddie and
then the Polled power house, West
Port Arron Doon Mit P-Red VG-85
that traces back to Hickorymea Polled
breeding.
I was inspired to get involved with
Polled genetics when I met Roy MacGregor and Bryan Quanbury at the Canadian Dairy Expo (CDX) a few years
ago. Right from the start, the idea of

Polled intrigued me, not having to dehorn calves when we can use Polled to
dehorn the humane and natural way! I
have always loved marketing and figured it would be a great thing to begin
with before everyone else did.
I flushed Ginay PP-RC three times,
but sadly never retrieved an embryo
from her. Things would look a lot different in the calf pens if things had gone
as planned! I have certainly not given
up and am still active within Polled
and trying to promote it on social media! For me Polled is the future, no
matter what anyone else says! Polled
genetics are beginning to climb extremely fast with Polled lines popping
up in type (Jacoby's dam is Polled) and
the #1 PTAT cow is also from a Polled
family. With animals such as Roxy PP,
the Polled gene will only keep excelling within the Holstein breed. It is the
smart and economical thing to do for
the future! #PolledPower
Follow Valiant Dairy Genetics on
their Facebook page!

Here is a picture of Greg Johnson & I
from July 2014 when Roy MacGregor
and I visited Tom-Anna Holsteins and
toured around with Greg Johnson. That
day we all saw what was likely the first
Champ-P in the world! Pretty cool trip!

There are 2 independent origins of polled, one found in Holstein-Friesian and Jersey breeds (Pf), the other in many European breeds of Celtic origin (Pc) such as Angus, Blonde
dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Aquitaine, Dexter, Limousin, Charolais, and Hereford,
among others. Polledness is dominant; a polled animal can
have one or two copies of the gene. All offspring of a bull
with 2 copies of polled (homozygous) will be polled. Genetic
testing is a cost-effective means to determine if a polled animal has 1 or 2 copies of the gene. The Veterinary Genetics
Laboratory offers a test for the polled gene to assist breeders
in selecting cattle that have 2 copies of Polled gene.
H/H
HORNED. No copies of either Polled molecular
marker are present.
Pf/H POLLED. One copy of the Polled-Friesian molecular
marker is present. At least 50% of the offspring will be polled.
Pf/Pf POLLED. Two copies of the Polled-Friesian molecular marker are present. All offspring will be polled.
Pc/H POLLED. One copy of the Polled-Celtic molecular
marker is present. At least 50% of the offspring will be polled.
Pc/Pc POLLED. Two copies of the Polled-Celtic molecular marker are present. All offspring will be polled.
Pc/Pf POLLED. One copy of Polled-Celtic and 1 copy
of Polled-Friesian molecular markers are present. All offspring will be polled.

Ring in the New Year with Polled!
As the new year begins, it is great to see that many
of you are increasing your percentage of Polled animals in your herd, as well as the number of Homozygous Polled animals. Keep sharing them on social
media! When you go through the calf pens dehorning
and get to "skip" those Polled animals, you're hooked!
Why do a job that can be eliminated by using a Polled
bull? The number of Polled bulls available continues to increase in each
breed and I can't wait to see what will be available to us throughout 2016!
I'm excited to share with you the 1st #PolledPlace issue of 2016! This issue is packed with Polled information and more information can be found
on the Polled Dairy Cattle website at www.polleddairycattle.com. Special
thank you to the contract advertisers that continued their contract ads in
2016 and thank you to the new contract advertisers this year! I look forward to working with you to help promote your Polled genetics!
#PolledPlace Tag Sale
I'm also looking forward to the 2nd #PolledPlace Tag Sale that will
take place on May 20th & 21st and will be hosted by Briar Holsteins in
Monroe, Wisconsin. Again, this will be an All-Breeds Polled Tag Sale and
embryos, choices and live lots will be offered. Catalog deadline is April
1st. Please contact me if you're interested in consigning (608-732-2757 or
polledplace@polleddairycattle.com). Watch for early consignments in the
March/April issue of #PolledPlace and the catalog will be included with
the May/June issue!